Would he speak of her long unanswered letter? Would he make an excuse for not noticing it? A sentence in rhetoric was before her eyes: "Any letter, not insulting, merits a reply." Perhaps he had never studied rhetoric. Her lips were curving into a smile; wouldn't it be fun to ask him?
"I am going to London next week. I came home to say good-bye to mother."
"Will you stay long?" was all that occurred to her to remark. Her voice was quite devoid of interest.
"I must return to New York on Monday; and I shall stay in London only long enough to attend to business. I shall go to Manchester and to Paris. My route is not all mapped out for me yet. Do you like school as well as you expected to?"
"No; she was like your mother; only hers has lasted so long. I am so sorry for such--unhappiness."
"So am I. I endured enough of it at one time."
"I cannot even think of it. She is going home with me in June. Morris will be glad to have her with mother."
"June is to be a month of happenings in your calendar."
He was bending towards her that she might listen easily, as he did not wish to raise his voice.
"I haven't told you about my class in Sunday school."
"Yes, a class of girls--girls about fourteen. I thought I never could interest them. I don't know how to talk to little girls; but I am full of the lesson, and so are they, and the time is up before we know it."
"I'm very glad. It will be good for you," said Marjorie, quite in Miss Prudence's manner.
"It is, already," he said gravely and earnestly "I imagine it is better for me than for them."
"Our lesson last Sunday was about the Lord's Supper; and one of them asked me if Christ partook of the Supper with his disciples. I had not thought of it. I do not know. Do you?"
"But this was afterward. Why should he do it in remembrance of his own death? He gave them the bread and the cup."
Marjorie was interested. She said she would ask her father and Miss Prudence; and her mother must certainly have thought about it.
The conductor nudged Hollis twice before he noticed him and produced his ticket; then the candy boy came along, and Hollis laid a paper of chocolate creams in Marjorie's lap. It was almost like going back to the times when he brought apples to school for her. If he would only explain about the letter--